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Chivas Regal 12 Year Old

Welcome to WhiskyReviews.net, a new website featuring reviews of whisky and other spirits, which I hope will inform as well as entertain.

My love of whisky began a few years ago but I have enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember. Over the last few years I have sought to indulge my interest in the written word by opining on various different topics online. However, for some reason, nothing seemed to stick until I turned my attention to the world of whisky… After a recent visit to a local distillery, I decided to put my experience into words and then moved onto writing a little about the bottles in my personal collection at home. Once I was happy with the content of the reviews, the next logical step was finding somewhere to publish them and thus, WhiskyReviews.net was born.

It seems highly likely that single malts will take up the bulk of the content here but given the vast quantity of blended scotch sold all over the world, it seemed somehow appropriate to launch the site with an affordable, every day blend…

First, some background information regarding the differences between blends and single malts would perhaps be useful. In short, a single malt is made from 100% malted barley and produced entirely at one distillery. A blend meanwhile, is made by vatting together whisky from various distilleries, including some made from other grains like wheat, maize and rye. A single malt is often held in higher regard than its blended cousin, for the simple reason that malt whisky is viewed as superior to that which is distilled from other grains. It is also fair to say that most blends are created to appeal to as many people as possible and can therefore lack the character of a single malt, so often influenced by the place, people and conditions in which it was made.

Chivas Regal is the flagship brand of Chivas Brothers, a company which began life as a grocers in Aberdeen back in 1801. Like many similar businesses of the time, Chivas Bros. were purveyors of fine wines and spirits and by the 1840’s, company cellars were full to the brim with maturing whisky. Naturally, it was decided that a bespoke, exclusive product should be created for regular customers. The resulting blend was so successful that the Chivas name was soon synonymous with good scotch.

Chivas Regal 12 year old is made by vatting a variety of malt and grain whiskies together, though it is extremely rare for any blender to make the exact contents of their product widely available. Bottled at 40% alcohol by volume, it retails in the UK for around £25.

Smell: The nose is inoffensive: pleasant enough, but unremarkable with Heather Honey, Vanilla and Green Fruits.

Taste: On the palate there’s Honey and Vanilla again, Apple & Pear and a touch of Oak.

Value: There may be cheaper blends on the market, but few carry an age statement of 12 years.

Total: 36 / 50

Chivas 12 has been marketed in the past as ‘the blend for grownups’ and I kind of understand why. Not a massive dram, but instead is rather subtle and even somewhat sophisticated. A little step above a basic blend and a pleasant enough drinking experience.